🛍🥤Nearly 20,000 people at two Valley outdoor shopping centers have taken advantage of Arizona’s new law allowing them to enjoy adult beverages in designated areas.
The law: Phoenix-based Vestar’s pilot Sip & Stroll program, which allows shoppers 21 and over to purchase an alcoholic beverage at designated restaurants and bars and then enjoy the beverage throughout the designated outdoor areas, became law on Jan. 12.
- Participants must wear a wristband and the beverages are consumed in a plastic cup.
The early figures: In the first six months, 11,707 wristbands have been distributed at Vestar’s Desert Ridge Marketplace in northeast Phoenix and 7,831 at its Tempe Marketplace.
Participating restaurants and bars: Artichoke Pizza, CB Live, Dave & Buster’s, Islands, Sid’s Garage, Whining Pig, Yard House, Spitz Mediterranean, and Fat Tuesday at Desert Ridge.
- Dave & Buster’s, Genghis Grill, Harkins Theatres, Gen Korean BBQ House, Kabuki, Smashburger, and Lumberjaxes at Tempe Marketplace.
Why it matters: Malls, which are major sources of Arizona tax revenue, say such amenities help them compete with online retailers such as Amazon.
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